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Google killed Play Music in October 2020, a service many people loved for one feature in particular: its online music file locker with uploaded songs that seamlessly integrated with Play Music's streaming catalog. You could also just add titles you own and listen to them without ever having to pay a dime. Luckily, at that place are a few alternatives that replicate some of Play Music'south capabilities, including its successor YouTube Music.

Real online digital lockers

The beginning category is a collection of services that replicate Play Music'southward feature ready almost 1:1 — y'all tin upload your files to these platforms and listen to them via the respective apps, just as though you would stream music regularly. Nonetheless, these services have slightly different approaches than Play Music, so hither'southward what y'all need to watch out for.

YouTube Music

If you don't mind the YouTube Music interface, it's the most straightforward solution y'all could hope for. You don't need to create a new account, you can only keep using your Google login. For a express fourth dimension, you could even straight movement your files from Play Music to the newer platform. Once you lot've uploaded your files to YouTube Music, y'all'll notice that in that location are some pregnant differences when it comes to library management and adding new songs, though.

YouTube Music strictly separates uploaded music from music available on the streaming platform. When you search for your uploaded songs, you e'er have to switch from the YT Music tab to the Uploadssection, a separation that also divides the library when you manually roll through your songs. When y'all sort your library by creative person and want to see someone'southward albums, you're out of luck: You can just encounter an overview of all songs when you become this route.

You also lose the dedicated desktop uploading tool that Play Music had. When yous want to add new files to YouTube Music, you have to drag and drib information technology on the service'south website or rely on an unofficial third-political party service.

YouTube Music is a month if y'all want to access the streaming service portion of the service without ads, but the online locker is complimentary and doesn't have ads if you just want access to your own files.

We explored the differences between Play Music and YouTube Music uploads in dandy detail in this article.

Apple Music

If yous can't stand YouTube Music at all, yous might want to give Apple Music a attempt. It allows you lot to upload 100,000 songs only like YouTube Music using iTunes on your computer. And much similar Google's new service, your uploaded library is separated from the music bachelor on the service itself when you lot search, so that's a limitation you'll have to alive with.

To access your music on an Android device, y'all'll take to pay $x a month for Apple tree Music, but the digital locker portion of the service called iTunes Match is likewise available standalone for $25 a twelvemonth if yous only use Apple tree products.

iBroadcast

iBroadcast may not accept the prettiest interface, but if you only desire admission to your uploaded songs wherever you are, it might exist the all-time solution. The free service lets you shop an unlimited corporeality of files, comes with Android and iOS apps on top of the web app, supports Chromecast, and has some intelligent Spotify-like playlists. The privately funded Seattle company behind it promises that it doesn't sell your data (nosotros'll accept to take its word on that) and is currently working on a $iii.99/month premium service with extra features to stay afloat in the long term.

iBroadcast even has desktopand Android apps that monitor your folders for new music. If your files don't come up with the correct metadata, yous tin adjust it afterward the fact — a Play Music feature YouTube Music never got. There's also Chromecast support.

You can sign up for the service here.

Media Leap

Media Leap is a recently launched Canadian service that allows you to upload upwardly to 1TB of your own songs on its servers for free. Information technology then lets you stream that music to up to five devices via a web interface and mobile apps, and you can download songs to your phone for offline listening. In dissimilarity to the other services presented here, Media Leap notwithstanding feels pretty crude around the edges when it comes to the interface, but streaming itself worked without issues for me. Be aware that a lot of features yous unremarkably take for granted are only slated for later, equally a spokesperson told us. The team is working on a proper queue, Chromecast support, an equalizer, boosted file formats such every bit m4a and aac (simply mp3, ogg, and flac are supported right now), one-click anthology and artist downloads, mass metadata editing, duplicate vocal checking, and a light way.

When you lot sign up, the service volition inquire you to add your home accost and phone number, just yous don't have to fill up out these details — yous simply need to enter your proper noun, email, and countersign and continue setup. If you need more than than 1TB of storage, y'all can sign up for a $5 monthly plan — that's when y'all do need to enter more of your personal data. In the future, the company will "most likely" add together ads for free users, then you might have to pay the subscription fee in the long term if you want to avoid that.

Deezer

Deezer isn't our go-to solution as it only lets you upload a maximum of 2,000 MP3 files. That limit means it's merely suitable for people who want to augment the service'southward catalog with a select few titles. Similar in YouTube Music, your own files are hidden abroad and aren't seamlessly integrated with Deezer's library. They only show up in an extra department in the desktop app, subconscious abroad under Favorites in the sidebar -> More -> My MP3s(which is also where you upload files). In the Android app, you'll just discover your uploaded titles nether Favoritesin the bottom bar ->Playlists -> My MP3s.Deezer tin can exist prepare every bit the default audio provider on Google Home and Nest devices, the only service in this listing to support information technology other than YouTube Music — which is our main reason for including it in this roundup.

Y'all demand to pay for the /calendar month premium subscription to access the online locker, which will also give y'all access to millions of songs without ad interruptions.

Cloud-hosted digital lockers

Some people might not be comfortable with uploading their music to an unknown online location and might simply want a amend experience when they listen to music added to their existing cloud services similar Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, or their own server. That's where the following services come in.

Astiga

Astiga is a spider web service that offers a convenient interface for listening to music you've saved to your deject storage. It'll automatically organize your titles into a streaming service-like fashion once you lot've synced your library.

The bones functionality is complimentary, but if you often add music to your deject library, you might want to pay for the $four/calendar month or $24/twelvemonth premium subscription. It allows you to sync automatically or equally frequently as you want to instead of just once all three days. Astiga is officially bachelor on Android and the web, just there are 3rd-political party and experimental apps for other platforms. You lot tin read more nearly it and sign up hither.

CloudBeats

Like Astiga, CloudBeats is an app that connects to a deject storage service or your own server and lets you stream your music files to your telephone. The basic functionality is free, simply if yous want to download files to your telephone through the app or send music to a Chromecast target, you need to pay a one-fourth dimension fee of $half-dozen.99.

In contrast to the other options listed here, CloudBeats is but available on Android and iOS. You'll need to use another player on your desktop to listen to your songs there, so y'all might run into roadblocks when you want to sync playlists.

CloudPlayer

CloudPlayer's approach is almost identical to CloudBeats'. The Android app connects to your OneDrive, Dropbox, and/or Google Drive storage and organizes recognized audio files in a library. Y'all can rummage through the library by album, creative person, playlists, genres, songs, or playlists. You besides get admission to online radios. If yous don't like the default calorie-free theme, y'all tin modify information technology, and there are quite a few more options in settings if you don't like some pattern decisions or the default playback behavior.

A $7.99 in-app buy gives you more than features similar a 10-band equalizer, loudness normalization, gapless playback, Chromecast and AirPlay support, and an ad-free radio experience. There's no iOS app — the CloudPlayer Android app is the only manner to get.

Muzecast

Muzecast is another solution when you lot want to admission your own files in the cloud, and it'due south very much similar to the others listed here. You can stream content from your computer, Dropbox, or OneDrive. The player supports the usual DRM-free file types. Lossless streaming of up to 24/192 KHz is available, songs are cached on your Android device, it has a built-in equalizer, and playlists tin can exist synchronized beyond Android phones and even other apps that back up M3U and WPL. Muzecast is besides available on Android Auto, Wear OS, and Android TV. It works with Chromecast.

I personally dislike the design, but some people might savour its out-of-the-box retro look. There's a free, ad-supported version of Muzecast and a $7.99 advertising-gratis variant. The Android TV app costs $4.77.

Cocky-hosted digital lockers

Here are a few solutions that only piece of work with servers or computers situated in your habitation or your webspace.

Plex

Yous've probably already heard of the dwelling house entertainment manager Plex that organizes media stored on your computer or server — deject services aren't supported (anymore). Information technology wants to be a i-stop solution for all of your media files like music, films, TV shows, pictures, and so on. It offers beautiful clients for almost all of your devices.

Plex recently launched a standalone music player called Plexamp. Information technology's among the prettier solutions with a design that takes cues from Soundcloud and Spotify, written in responsive and modernistic React Native code. You need to pay a month to utilize it, only y'all can also examination the regular gratis Plex app before committing.

Jellyfin

Jellyfin is a completely costless and open-source alternative to Plex, built on the at present proprietary Emby media server. Its Android app isn't as pretty equally Plexamp, but it admittedly doesn't accept to hibernate its face, either. Yous can install the host software on your computer or a server, and once you've got everything indexed, yous're ready to get. Jellyfin lets y'all download offline copies of your media when you're out and about, there's Chromecast support, an Android Television set app, and, nearly recently, an Android Auto interface.

Jellyfin doesn't have native support for cloud storage services, but there are solutions if you actually desire to. To get started, you demand to install the server awarding and the Android app.

Personally, I don't remember whatever of these services nails music storage as well as Play Music did — Google's service simply had the best integration between your uploaded files and the streaming itemize. The solutions listed here are either only really good as streaming services or as storage solutions for music you already own. Unfortunately, in that location's no turning dorsum now that Play Music is discontinued, so you'll have to settle for 1 of these. Of course, y'all can also manually move your music to your telephone and employ a player like Phonograph.

UPDATE: 2021/01/09 viii:59am PST Past MANUEL VONAU

Added more services

Added Media Leap.

Thanks: DonPorazzo, ikeofkc, Oleg Vorkunov

About The Author

Manuel Vonau (1637 Articles Published)

Manuel is a tech enthusiast and Android fan based in Berlin. When he's non writing articles for Android Police, he's probably out and about as a videographer.

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